


Flirtation

by obsessivemuch



Category: Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: Character of Color, F/F, Female Homosexuality, First Kiss, LGBTQ Female Character, POV Female Character, Romance, Romantic Friendship, possibility
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-02-19
Updated: 2005-02-19
Packaged: 2017-10-28 15:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/309426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivemuch/pseuds/obsessivemuch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A discussion about flirtation leads to something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flirtation

"You keep flirting with Bridge," Syd remarked quietly as the door shut behind them.

With a toss of her head, Z laughed merrily. "He's fun to tease, Syd. I haven't had much of a chance to flirt, well, ever."

Still, she wasn't very pleased with her response and her expression remained serious. "Bridge doesn't need his heart broken."

"Am I stepping on your toes? Do you like Bridge as more than a friend?" She looked surprised and almost appalled that she might have crossed a line she didn't know was there.

But her roommate shook her head. "Bridge might be just a friend, but he's my best friend, Z. I just don't want you to hurt him."

"Good because I thought your affections were reserved for our uptight Blue Ranger."

Horrified, Syd squeaked, "Sky? No way." Her cheeks flushed pink at the thought. "We drive each other nuts."

A small silence fell between the pair as they started to ready themselves for bed. Z thought the conversation was over until she realized that Syd was staring at her with a concerned expression. "What's up?"

"Do you like him?"

"Sky? Yeah, he's okay. Like I said, he needs to pull the stick from his butt, but he's all right," Z answered easily.

With a sigh, Syd drew nearer to her. "No, do you like Bridge? Because if you don't, you should stop with the flirting. I've never seen him act like that around any girl and I think he's starting to fall for you."

The Latina frowned at the idea. "I hope you're wrong. I don't like Bridge as more than a friend, and I don't want him to think that. I was just having fun."

"Flirting is fun?" she asked, and Z had to suppress laughter. The blonde was lovely and sweet and had probably broken any number of hearts.

"You've spent way too much time here, Princess. Flirting isn't just fun – it's a great way to get what you want. Even Sky softens a bit if you smile at him in just the right way. Haven't you ever tried it?" Z grinned at the girl, trying to turn the conversation away from her flirting with Bridge.

"Not on purpose," she said with a superior look.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. You're a walking, talking flirtation as it is. You'd probably be deadly if you ever tried it on purpose."

As if to illustrate her point, Syd tilted her head with an appealing mix of confusion and wonder. "I joined SPD so I wouldn't be thought of as the cute girl, Z. I wanted to prove that I could do just as a good a job as any guy. Flirting would defeat the point."

"Trust me, Syd, you prove the point daily. Who just kicked Bridge's butt in training? It wasn't Sky," Z said. "But that doesn't mean that you can't relax and flirt a bit. I bet if you flirted with Boom, he'd let you see that new gadget that you wanted to see so badly."

Her roommate giggled at the thought. "Boom would probably break the Desensitizer if I smiled at him."

"You're right." She studied her briefly. "You should probably just stick to twirling your hair around your finger. That should do the trick without risking the gadget."

"But I don't want to flirt. I just want him to let me see the Desensitizer."

Z exhaled noisily. "The point is to see it, flirting is just the means. Like I flirt with Bridge sometimes because I want his French fries or whatever."

"Why don't you like Bridge? You two always seem to be talking about stuff. Do you like Sky or Jack? Is that why?" Syd bubbled over with questions.

"Jack is like my Bridge. He's my best friend, Syd, and I could never like him like that. Not anymore. As for Sky, he's way too tense for me. I like people who can relax and have fun," she said with a little smile.

Syd puzzled through her statement with a slight frown. "I think you're in the wrong place then. The Academy isn't a place for fun and relaxation."

"I think I'm in exactly the right place."

"That sounds so final. Does that mean you've found another guy you like?" Syd asked, trying to figure out who Z might have met in her short time at the Academy.

Z weighed her options as she stalled for more time. "Not exactly."

"Well, what do you mean?" Syd looked extremely frustrated by her words. "An alien? I know there's a couple of cute ones . . . or so some of the cadets tell me."

Z moved closer to her roommate. "No, no aliens for me. But there are a couple of cute ones out there – your friends are right about that."

"There's no one left."

Z chuckled. "You're wrong, Syd," she said, her fingers tilting the delicate chin as she pressed her mouth against the soft lips that opened slightly with surprise. The kiss was gentle and feather light as the brunette resisted the urge to deepen the gesture.

Flustered, Syd pulled away with a shocked expression. "What was that?"

"If you don't know what a kiss is, you've really been sheltered, Princess," Z answered, obvious affection lacing her tone. "The reason I don't like Bridge or Jack or Sky is because I don't swing that way."

"What – what do you mean?"

With a sigh, Z sat down on her bed. "I'm attracted to girls, Syd. I always have been."

"But how?"

Smiling at her naïveté, she said, "Just because I was living on the streets doesn't mean I didn't have contact with other people. I was fifteen when this girl stayed with Jack and I for a few days – she was my first kiss. I've kissed boys, too, but I like girls a lot more."

Syd also sat down with a dazed expression, unconsciously grasping Peanut. "Why would you kiss me though? You hate me."

"I don't hate you. I might have gone to the extreme where I was pretending not to like you quite as much as I do, and we do have different views on some things. Look, Syd, I didn't know how you'd react to any of this. Mostly because I really did think you liked Sky. But then you said you didn't like him and you were pushing to know who I liked so I kissed you."

"You like me?" Her blue eyes filled with wonder as she stared at Z.

Z relaxed and smiled softly. "You're beautiful, you're talented, and you have such an open heart. And I don't think I've ever met anyone with as much passion for life than you have. I'm far more surprised that everyone isn't already half in love with you."

Her fingers twirled through her hair as she thought about Z's words. "I don't understand."

"You don't understand that you're very easy to care about? Or you don't understand why I would kiss you instead of just telling you?" Her laughter gently swirled around Syd.

But the blonde shook her head shyly. "I don't know what you expect from me, Z. I'm not like you. I've always liked boys and I've never thought . . ."

"You've never thought that a girl might kiss you suddenly and turn your whole world upside down," Z finished.

Blue eyes met brown eyes with anxious sympathy. "Something like that. But I don't know what you want from me."

Z stood and moved to sit next to Syd who slid away nervously. "Sydney Drew, listen to me. I don't want anything from you that you don't want to give. I kissed you because I like you. You didn't run away screaming – all you did was ask questions. It was more than I expected, and I'm thankful for it. Look, if you just want to be roommates and friends and teammates, I'm all right with that. I just thought you wanted to understand why I don't like Bridge and why I don't want to break his heart." She didn't try to invade Syd's space, watching the blonde's expression change as her words sunk in. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and I hope you don't hate me."

"I don't hate you, Z, I'm just confused. I don't know what to feel and I don't know how to act around you now. I need – I need to think," she said, turning away.

Z took the hint and stood awkwardly. "Yeah, sure, of course. Maybe Jack'll let me bunk with him tonight," she answered, striving to sound casual instead of hurt.

She must not have succeeded, judging by the compassionate glance Syd sent her way. "No, they won't let you stay with Jack. It's against the rules. No consorting with the opposite sex. Besides, I don't want you to leave, Z."

"Are you sure?"

Syd nodded firmly. "Totally. And it's nearly curfew anyway. They'll be turning out the lights any minute now." The room plunged into darkness as she finished the sentence with a laugh. "See?"

After Z carefully threaded her way across the room, she climbed under her covers and strained to see her roommate. "Good night, Syd."

"Night, Z," she said mechanically, making Z wince at her tone. "Sweet dreams."

The Yellow Ranger laid awake for a long while, listening for the deep, even breathing that indicated Syd's sleep, but the bubbly girl, who usually fell asleep instantly, seemed to take forever to finally fall asleep and drift off into her dreams. Z couldn't help wondering why she had taken so long to think about the situation. She knew her friend would consider the whole thing fairly, but it shouldn't have taken so long to come to a decision. She also realized that she couldn't begin to let herself hope either. Deciding that tomorrow would bring the answer, Z let her body begin to wind down into the sleep that she needed so desperately.


End file.
